Times Have Changed

Welcome to a new era.

When I was growing up in the late 80s and on through the 90s, college basketball had many "powerhouses." The UNC teams with Dean Smith on the bench. The Calipari-led UMass teams. John Thompson's Georgetown Hoyas. Kentucky. Michigan and the Fab Five. Kansas. Indiana.

And Duke.

The one name you did not want to see when you glanced through your favorite team's bracket in the March tournament. They were always big, they were always fast, they were always dangerous. Coach Mike Krzyzewski stood by the bench looking like a fearless general, proud of--and yet, almost bored by--the routine precision of his teams' execution. You didn't want to see Duke. You prayed for a miracle 16 seed to come out of nowhere and beat them in the first round. Or for an academic scandal to hit them during the regular season. Anything to keep them out of the path between your team and a national championship.



Welcome to a new era.

Duke is still big, Duke is still fast, Duke is still dangerous. But so are the Panthers of Pittsburgh. See you in March.